# NZR WB class > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/NZR_WB_class > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/NZR_WB_class.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_WB_class > Source revision: 1331392493 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) NZR WB class WB class no 298 Type and origin Power type Steam Builder Baldwin Locomotive Works Serial number 16166–16177 (not in road number order) Build date 1898 Total produced 12 Specifications Configuration: ​ • Whyte 2-6-2T Gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Driver dia. 39.75 in (1.010 m) Length 32 ft 9 in (9.98 m) Adhesive weight 29.5 long tons (30.0 t; 33.0 short tons) Loco weight 40.7 t (40.1 long tons; 44.9 short tons) Fuel type Coal Firebox: ​ • Grate area 17.3 sq ft (1.61 m2) Boiler pressure 170 psi (1,172 kPa) Heating surface 830 sq ft (77 m2) Cylinder size 14 in × 20 in (356 mm × 508 mm) Performance figures Tractive effort 13,420 lbf (59.7 kN) Career Operators New Zealand Railways Numbers 290–301 Locale Wanganui, Napier First run 1899 Retired 1935–1960 The [NZR](/source/New_Zealand_Railways_Department) **WB class** was a class of steam [tank locomotives](/source/Tank_locomotive) that operated in New Zealand. Built in 1898 by the [Baldwin Locomotive Works](/source/Baldwin_Locomotive_Works), the twelve members of the class entered service during the first five months of 1899. Eight were withdrawn by the end of 1935, while four others survived with new boilers until the mid-1950s. ## History In the late 1890s, New Zealand's [national network](/source/Rail_transport_in_New_Zealand) was expanding at a great rate and demand for services on existing lines was rising. The size of the locomotive fleet was inadequate to handle the demand - this was at least in part due to the economic difficulties created by the [Long Depression](/source/Long_Depression). NZR had built the [WA class](/source/NZR_Wa_class) in its own workshops, but desperate for more locomotives, purchased locomotives from outside of New Zealand. High prices and workers' strikes in [England](/source/England) meant that the Baldwin Locomotive Works of [Pennsylvania](/source/Pennsylvania) was contracted in 1898 to provide twelve locomotives built to similar specifications as the WA class. Delivery was swift, and the locomotives entered service between January and May 1899. Although initially classified as WA, they were re-classified WB in 1900–01 to avoid any confusion with the earlier locomotives constructed in New Zealand. ## Operation Most were initially based at [Whanganui](/source/Whanganui)'s East Town depot, but two each went to [Wellington](/source/Wellington) and [Westport](/source/Westport%2C_New_Zealand) and one to [Whangārei](/source/Whang%C4%81rei). By [World War I](/source/World_War_I), they were equally distributed between Westport and Whangārei. In their early years, WB locomotives ran all kinds of trains from their main base in Wanganui - the [New Plymouth Mail](/source/New_Plymouth_Express) passenger express, goods trains to [Napier](/source/Napier%2C_New_Zealand) and through the [Wairarapa](/source/Wairarapa_Line), and local [mixed trains](/source/Mixed_train) of passengers and freight from Wanganui to [Hāwera](/source/H%C4%81wera) and [Palmerston North](/source/Palmerston_North). Within a few years, more powerful locomotives displaced the WB class from many of these services, and they were redeployed to Westport and Whangārei. On the isolated Westport section, the dominant traffic was coal from the various inland mines served by rail, and the WBs worked these services for a number of decades until they were displaced in the 1950s by the [WW class](/source/NZR_Ww_class). During their years of operation, the WB class was seen as ideal for operations on the lines that fanned out from Westport, and four were overhauled and given new boilers in the mid-1920s to prolong their lives. ## Withdrawal The first withdrawals of WB class locomotives occurred in the late 1920s, when Whangārei-based WB 301 was retired in March 1928. By the end of 1932, all six WBs that had been based in Whangārei were withdrawn - they were 290, 293, 295, 296, 297, and 301. In Westport, the two locomotives that did not receive new boilers were withdrawn around the same time: WB 291 ceased operations in December 1931 and was followed by WB 294 in May 1935. Until the Westport section was linked to the national network in 1943, the remaining four had secure roles; although members of the WW class had been introduced to Westport in 1929–30, they did not arrive in sufficient quantities to seriously displace the WBs until the opening of the [Stillwater - Westport Line](/source/Stillwater_-_Westport_Line). During the 1940s, the extent of the operations of the WBs decreased markedly, and by 1955, they were little more than shunters in Westport's yard. In the second half of 1955, WB 298 and WB 300 were withdrawn, and during the next year, the final two, 292 and 299, were removed from service, though they were not officially withdrawn until January 1957. WB 300 was towed to [Dunedin](/source/Dunedin) to be [scrapped](/source/Scrap), but this was not an economical procedure, and the other three were dumped in two [Westland](/source/West_Coast%2C_New_Zealand) rivers to stabilise river banks and halt erosion. WB 298 was dismantled in Westport and its boiler was dumped at the "locomotive graveyard" in Omoto, near [Greymouth](/source/Greymouth), while in 1958, WB 292 was taken to [Seddonville](/source/Seddonville) and toppled into Coal Creek. Eventually, it was joined by WB 299 on 1 January 1960.[1] ## Preservation Inspired by the recovery of locomotives from riverbeds such as [K](/source/NZR_K_class_(1877)) 88 from the [Ōreti River](/source/%C5%8Creti_River) in [Southland](/source/Southland%2C_New_Zealand), the Baldwin Steam Trust was established to recover WB 292 and WB 299 from their resting place near Seddonville. The [Seddonville Branch](/source/Seddonville_Branch) between Seddonville and Mokihinui Mine had closed in 1974, and by the late 1980s, nature had grown over the old formation, and there were no roads within a mile of where the two locomotives lay. A plan was formulated, and in mid-1989, the engines were successfully recovered. The Baldwin Steam Trust ultimately plans to restore both locomotives back to full operational condition. 292 & 299 are at the [Rimutaka Incline Railway Heritage Trust](/source/Rimutaka_Incline_Railway_Heritage_Trust)'s Maymorn depot being restored. - WB 292 Baldwin No. 16172 of 1898 - WB 299 Baldwin No. 16175 of 1898 ## See also - [NZR W class](/source/NZR_W_class) - [NZR WA class](/source/NZR_WA_class) - [NZR WD class](/source/NZR_WD_class) - [NZR WE class](/source/NZR_WE_class) - [NZR WF class](/source/NZR_WF_class) - [NZR WG class](/source/NZR_WG_class) - [NZR WW class](/source/NZR_WW_class) - [NZR WS / WAB class](/source/NZR_WAB_class) - [Locomotives of New Zealand](/source/Locomotives_of_New_Zealand) ## References ### Citation 1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEPalmerStewart196566_1-0)** [Palmer & Stewart 1965](#CITEREFPalmerStewart1965), p. 66. ### Bibliography - Churchman, Geoffrey B; Hurst, Tony (2001) [1990, 1991]. *The Railways of New Zealand: A Journey through History* (Second ed.). Transpress New Zealand. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-908876-20-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-908876-20-3). - Palmer, A. N.; Stewart, W. W. (1965). *Cavalcade of New Zealand Locomotives*. Wellington: [A H. & A W. Reed](/source/Reed_Publishing). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-207-94500-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-207-94500-7). - Stewart, W. W. (1974). *When Steam was King*. Wellington: [A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd](/source/Reed_Publishing). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-589-00382-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-589-00382-1). ## External links [Baldwin Steam Trust (Archived)](https://web.archive.org/web/20160414134352/http://www.baldwin-steam.org.nz/index.html) - [NZR Baldwin Locomotives](https://web.archive.org/web/20110717025229/http://www.baldwin-steam.org.nz/loco/wb.html) v t e Rail vehicles of New Zealand Diesel locomotives Mainline DA (inc. DAA, DAR) DB (inc. DBR) DC (inc. DCP) DF (English Electric) DF (General Motors) inc. DFT, DFB, DFM DG (inc. DH of 1956) DI DJ DL DM DQ and QR DX (inc. DXB, DXC, DXR) Shunt DE DH of 1978 DS DSA DSB DSC DSG DSH (on order) DSJ TR Electric locomotives 1500 V DC EA (later EO of 1968) EC ED EO of 1923 EW 25 kV AC EF Battery E EB Diesel multiple units ADK/ADB class diesel multiple unit ADL/ADC class diesel multiple unit Electric multiple units 1500 V DC (Wellington) "English Electric" DM (inc. D trailers) "Ganz Mavag" EM (inc. ET trailers) "Matangi" FP (inc. FT trailers) "Tūhono" BEMU (on order) 25 kV AC (Auckland) AM (inc. AMP, AMT, AMA) Railcars RM class 88 seater (also known as Fiats or twinsets) Clayton steam railcar Edison battery-electric railcar Red Terror railcar Midland railcar Leyland experimental petrol railcar McEwan Pratt petrol railcar Model T Ford railcar Sentinel-Cammell steam railcar Silver Fern railcar Standard railcar Thomas Transmission railcar Vulcan railcar Wairarapa railcar Westinghouse railcar Others A 88 Buckhurst petrol carriage Steam locomotives A of 1873 A of 1906 (inc. AD) AA AB B of 1874 B of 1899 BA BB BC C of 1873 C of 1930 D of 1874 D of 1929 E of 1872 & 1875 E of 1906 F FA (inc. FB) G of 1874 G Garratt of 1928 (inc. Pacific rebuild) H J of 1874 J of 1939 JA JB K of 1877 K of 1932 KA KB L LA M N NA NC O OA OB OC P of 1876 P of 1885 Q of 1878 Q of 1901 R S T U UA UB UC UD V W WA WAB WB WD WE WF WG WH WJ WS WW X Y Locomotive hauled carriages 50-foot carriage 56-foot carriage AC class (Grassgrubs) ex-British Rail Mark 2 carriage AK carriage FM class guards van SX carriages Track evaluation, cranes, and maintenance ETM class track evaluation car EL class rail cranes ETM class rail maintenance equipment Locomotives of New Zealand Rail transport in New Zealand Railway preservation in New Zealand. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [NZR WB class](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_WB_class) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NZR_WB_class?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.